Police And Armed Forces Face More Cuts

Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, has warned that Armed Police and Armed Forces face further cuts in 2015 because the coalition government will not sanction any further cuts in welfare payments. The cuts are mooted at being around £11.5bn and Alexander has also said that protests and debate will not change the issue; the cuts will go ahead as planned regardless of who believes they are wrong and whether any alternatives are offered. The cuts come despite Defence Secretary Philip Hammond saying that any new cuts would jeopardise the country’s security.

Wednesday’s budget was viewed as being relatively quiet but it seems that, in the background at least, there are cuts and additional austerity measures being put in place that will come into force in the coming years. These latest proposed cuts will come in 2015-2016 and will follow on from three years of continuous cuts to the Home Office and the Ministry of Defence. The cuts will have a major impact on the security of the country according to some senior figures and public sentiment will not sway the government.

One group of politicians who are now referred to as the National Union of Ministers and are headed by Theresa May, the Home Secretary, believe that ring fenced spending should be abolished. This method of spending and budgets means that some departments like the NHS and the Department for International Development will not have their own budgets cut. The Ministers believe that by abolishing this ring fencing, it will be easier to reduce spending where required.

Independent analysis of the proposed cuts and the current budget has shown that approximately £1.6bn will be stripped from the £32bn Ministry of Defence budget. It is also widely believed that such a hefty cut would inevitably lead to further job cuts within defence. Danny Alexander stands steadfast on his comments and on the budget changes, saying that all departments besides those three under protection will have to find ways to reduce their spend for the greater good.

Alexander also said that he would not be willing to negotiate but that he would work with colleagues to determine the best way in which to reduce their spend. He said that he did not feel angry over ministers speaking out against his decisions but also said that the idea of causing public outrage would not help to sway his decision and that future cuts could come at the expense of pensioners and their benefits, although the Prime Minister has said that they would not be targeted during this parliament.

The debate of where cuts will come from continues unabated but there are many critics who fear that continuing to reduce the budget of important departments like the Home Office and the Ministry of Defence will leave the country open to terrorism and other forms of attack. Cuts have already been made to the budgets of these departments and with the announcement that austerity measures would continue until at least 2018 it seems that the debate will not be going away any time soon.
 
The Prison Service also, they need to loose 2,000 frontline staff by October this year. Dangerouse times ahead for these guys as well as a pay freeze, new terms and conditions and repeated attacks on their pensions.
 
Back
Top